Car Insurance

[ken.p]

Hello, can anyone advise me on car insurance.
We had the car new, first class insurance for the first year, supplied with purchase of car, last year we purchased first class insurance from a fried of the family, now this years insurance is due, I’m told insurance escalates along with the age of the vehicle. Seems a little odd, but then it is Thailand.


Ken P.

[barrys]

Doesn't sound right - contact Matt at AA Insurance - he will look around for the best quote for you

[buksida]

Can someone post the different types of insurances here, ours has run out and the quote for renewal seems quite high for an 8 year old car. I know there are 3 levels of cover but not sure what each entails, we only need TPFT (third party, fire and theft), since the insurance companies don't use genuine parts on repairs and want to keep your car for two weeks because their affiliated garage is miles away from anywhere.

[Nereus]

Can someone post the different types of insurances here, ours has run out and the quote for renewal seems quite high for an 8 year old car. I know there are 3 levels of cover but not sure what each entails, we only need TPFT (third party, fire and theft), since the insurance companies don't use genuine parts on repairs and want to keep your car for two weeks because their affiliated garage is miles away from anywhere.

Better to get it posted by Matt. I think it was already posted recently also.
How about making a sticky with it, along with the drivers licence / renewal?

[Big Boy]

This is what Mat said previously:

@thebears: Okay, here we go:

Compulsory: Every registered motor vehicle in Thailand must have the CTPL (compulsory third party liability). The premium for and coverage of a compulsory is the same with every company. For a 4 door car this is 645.21 baht. You have to show a valid compulsory when you pay the road tax (that's how it is checked). The compulsory only covers for bodily injury/death and not for very high amounts.

Besides the compulsory you can choose to take out a voluntary insurance.
All the voluntary insurances below normally also provide coverage for personal accident/medical expenses for driver and passengers of the own car and bailbond. Besides that they cover for:

3rd class:
Bodily injury/death of a third party + third party property damage.
2nd class:
Same as third class + fire and theft of the own car
1st class:
Same as 2nd class + damage to the own car
2 + 1:
Same as 2nd class but also damage to the own car is covered (up to the insured sum), but only in case of an accident with another motor-vehicle and if the identity of the other party is known. The big differences with 1st class: If you drive into a tree with 2 + 1 the damage to your car will not be covered. If somebody drives against your car and runs of so you don't have the identity, it will not be covered. The last 2 examples would be covered with a 1st class. 2 + 1 is usually a good alternative for cars that can not be insured 1st class anymore because of the age, of course it is cheaper then 1st class.
3 + 1:
Same as 2 + 1, only fire and theft are not covered.

Hopefully this gives you an idea.

[buksida]

Ok, 2nd class seems to be what we need then, fired off an email to Matt.

One question though, if someone hits your car and they are not insured what happens? This has already occurred and the police are not interested, apparently driving without insurance is not a crime here.

[VincentD]

...now this years insurance is due, I’m told insurance escalates along with the age of the vehicle. Seems a little odd, but then it is Thailand.
Ken P.

Should'nt. In fact, if you're using the same policy, it should go down, unless you've made a claim.

One question though, if someone hits your car and they are not insured what happens? This has already occurred and the police are not interested, apparently driving without insurance is not a crime here.

Make sure you get their details. Some types of insurance policy require a police report. The police are not interested if nobody has died. They just issue a report and let the insurance companies sort it out.
On another note, don't expect the insurance premiums to drop too far. Think they'll drop off to about 30% of the original assuming a no-claims bonus, but not more than that. I did fork out for 1st class until the Saab was 15 years old and the premiums stayed around that level. Sold it when I could only get 3+1 as I prefer not to drive with minimal coverage. But that's just me.

[Frank Hovis]

Insurance premiums do drop with no claims bonus but the age of the car is pretty irrelevant, the majority of the cost of insurance is for covering third party damage, not replacing/repairing the insured vehicle. Medical treatment costs the same whether you hit someone with a 30 year Datsun (so old that it's not even in Chromes spellchecker) or a brand new Nissan.

[PeteC]

Just FYI, Datsun is being reborn. Pete

http://articles.latimes.com/2012/mar/20 ... n-20120320

[Big Boy]

...now this years insurance is due, I’m told insurance escalates along with the age of the vehicle. Seems a little odd, but then it is Thailand.
Ken P.

Should'nt. In fact, if you're using the same policy, it should go down, unless you've made a claim.

My last few years in the UK, that was not my experience. The only way you could get your premiums to reduce was to switch to a new insurer each year.

[ken.p]

Update on my increasing car insurance due to age (so I was told)

Not living in Hua Hin all year round (about to change) members of the family use the car, after inquiring with Matt from AA insurance, looking for a better quote, it turns out the car was involved in 3 accidents in the last year.

So I asked a few questions at home, was told if you have first class insurance and you have any type of prang, just get the insurance to pay for the repair and when the renewal is due move to another company.

Unlike UK, insurance companies insures in Thailand don’t exchange info, again so I’m told.
so its always the next lowest quote, which of course is higher that the last. but i guess if someone else is paying, its not a problem

I don’t think I will ever understand the way some Thai think.

Ken.

[VincentD]

Update on my increasing car insurance due to age (so I was told)

Not living in Hua Hin all year round (about to change) members of the family use the car, after inquiring with Matt from AA insurance, looking for a better quote, it turns out the car was involved in 3 accidents in the last year.

This somehow does not come as a surprise. Any accident that has to involve insurance is usually not a minor prang. Three? Wow. It might be an idea to invest in driving lessons...
And perhaps a windscreen-mounted DVR? Just got one for 1000 baht, 16G card extra. Starts recording when you start the car, stops when you stop. Set to loop record, will get you about 7 hours on D1 (slightly better than VGA)

So I asked a few questions at home, was told if you have first class insurance and you have any type of prang, just get the insurance to pay for the repair

Acceptable..

and when the renewal is due move to another company.

This is the thing that I find difficult to grasp. My guess would be that the amount of claims would have exceeded the premium by such a margin that the premiums would have to increase based on past history. Thus, even if the 'new' company charges more than the previous, it would still be less than the increase in the original premium?

but i guess if someone else is paying, its not a problem

Nail. Head. Hit.

I don’t think I will ever understand the way some Thai think.
Ken.

Neither will I, Ken. Neither will I.

BTW, they can stick together and gang up on some issues, which can be even more infuriating. Take, for example, the deafening silence you heard from all the guilty parties about three accidents? I get just as much.